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The physical forces that guide how cells manage to get from place to place inside the living body are poorly understood. Now scientists have for the first time devised a way to measure these forces during collective cellular migration.

The Dance of the Cells: A Minuet or a Mosh?

22/May/2011

The physical forces that guide how cells migrate — how they manage to get from place to place in a coordinated fashion inside the living body — are poorly understood. Scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia have, for the first time, devised a way to measure these forces during collective cellular migration. Their surprising conclusion is that the cells fight it out, each pushing and pulling on its neighbors in a chaotic dance, yet together moving cooperatively toward their intended direction.